About the Author

Mary Beith was a writer, lecturer and journalist. Born in London in 1938 she worked as a teacher before taking a course in journalism. Whilst working as an investigative journalist for The People in 1975 she went undercover in an animal testing lab, producing the now iconic image of beagles being forced to inhale cigarette smoke. Following a move to Scotland she worked as a freelance journalist with a particular interest in traditional medicines. Mary died in May 2012.